5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Packing for a Trip

5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Packing for a Trip

For many of us, packing for a trip can become an unnecessary source of stress and procrastination. We worry about over-packing, making a mess of our suitcase, or worse – that we won’t be prepared for every possible situation. Worry no more, because by asking yourself these simple questions, you will be able to pack your suitcase with ease and have a wonderful trip.

What is the weather forecast?

Before anything else, you should check the weather condition and forecast in your destination before packing your things in your suitcase. You should make sure that your destination is in good condition so that you can really enjoy traveling around. In addition, you should always prepare for the weather degree and condition of the place.

Which items are actually essential?

Packing things more than what you really need sounds costly and overwhelming. If you arrive at your destination and there are things like souvenirs or other things you want to buy as a remembrance, how are you going to bring those when your bag is overloaded? So planning is very important. Think of the things you use and wear every day. You can bring two or more shirts, dress, pants or jeans depending on the number of days you will spend in your trip. In order for you to save two days of your clothes, you should wear the same outfit for your trip as well as in your flight back. Two pairs of shoes and a pair of formal shoes will do well. If you are bringing your DOP kit, make sure that it is pack in a travel size bottle according to TSA regulations. You do not need to pack them in a plastic bag rather stick the small battle to your bag to save space.

In what order should I pack my suitcase?

Definitely, there is a right way to pack your suitcase, luggage or bags so you will not arrive at your destination like a crumpled mess.

The first layer of your luggage should be for your set of shoes. To save more space, pack your socks inside your shoes. Make sure it is fitted then put the shoes in the bottom of your bag.

On top of your shoes, put heavier rolled items like jeans, pants, sweaters, etc. Lay down there and pack them as tightly as you can. This will save not only space but also it keeps the rolls from unrolling during your travel.

If you have any fragile items and can be easily broken, you should place them in the center of your bag on top of the heavy rolled items.

The next layer will be the lighter items like t-shirts, undergarments, packed firmly.

On top of lighter items, you should place your folded items. It will prevent them from wrinkling.

If you have any additional light items like underwear, belts, socks, etc., it should be placed on every side or corner of the bag.

The last one is your toiletry kit, it should be placed on top of folded items, simply close your suitcase and you are done the packing.

Rolling vs. Folding?

Once you have picked out the things you are going to wear, the challenge is cramming it all into your suitcase or luggage. There are two methods for packing clothes: folding and rolling. Folded clothes stay nice and smooth, but take up a lot of space. Rolling may wrinkle your clothes, but creates more space in your bag, leaving room for more essentials, or souvenirs to take home.

Soft materials that are less likely to wrinkle when rolled tightly are cotton, knits, wool. Loose rolling has a tendency to result in more wrinkles in the clothes. Garments like collared shirts and dresses should be folded.

What will I do with dirty clothes?

If you do not want to cram just to find your dirty socks on the last day of your vacation, you should think ahead and bring a compressor. You just simply toss in all your dirty clothes and it will reduce the content’s volume significantly. It will provide you extra space for any souvenirs that you want to bring home. If you don’t have access to a compressor, just bring a mesh drawstring bag to keep the dirty clothes from mixing with the clean.